Søgeresultater: 45

Summary: The best new writing, photography, art, and reportage from and about Rome—in the series that's "like a literary vacation" ( Publishers Weekly ). If you believe recent chatter about Rome—in the media and by its residents—the city is on the verge of collapse. Each year, it slips further down the ranking of the world's most livable cities. To the problems faced by all large capitals—hit-and-run tourism, traffic, the divide between elegant, Airbnb-dominated city centers and run-down suburbs—in recent years Rome seems to have added a list of calamities of its own: a string of failing administrations, widespread corruption, the resurgence of fascist movements, rampant crime. A seemingly hopeless situation, perfectly symbolized by the fact that Rome currently leads the world in the number of self-combusting public buses. One might expect mass migration in the face of problems like these—yet the vast majority of Romans don't think for a second of "betraying" their hometown, and the many newcomers who've populated it in recent decades resemble the natives in the profound love that binds them to the city. The largest metropolis in Europe is a place of contradictions and opposites. We think of it as ancient, but it is profoundly modern—it was founded almost three millennia ago, but 92 per cent of its buildings have been built after 1945. To understand Rome and fix its problems, we should start considering it a normal city, not unlike Chicago or Manchester . . . just incomparably more beautiful. This volume is filled with portraits of Rome and thoughts not just on its famous past but its present and future, including: Rome doesn't judge you by Nicola Lagioia · The soul of the city by Matteo Nucci · 39 memos for a book about Rome by Francesco Piccolo · Plus : a guide to the sounds of Rome by Letizia Muratori; the feigned unrest and real malaise of the suburbs; the influence of the Vatican; the excessive power of real estate speculators and the rule of gangs; disillusioned trappers; football fans of every age, and much more . . . "A pleasure to read." — La Repubblica

Summary: From acclaimed author Ursula K. Le Guin, a collection of thoughts—always adroit, often acerbic—on aging, belief, the state of literature, and the state of the nation. Ursula K. Le Guin on the absurdity of denying your age: "If I'm ninety and believe I'm forty-five, I'm headed for a very bad time trying to get out of the bathtub." On cultural perceptions of fantasy: "The direction of escape is toward freedom. So what is 'escapism' an accusation of?" On breakfast: "Eating an egg from the shell takes not only practice, but resolution, even courage, possibly willingness to commit crime." Ursula K. Le Guin took readers to imaginary worlds for decades. In the last great frontier of life, old age, she explored a new literary territory: the blog, a forum where she shined. The collected best of Ursula's blog, No Time to Spare presents perfectly crystallized dispatches on what mattered to her late in life, her concerns with the world, and her wonder at it: "How rich we are in knowledge, and in all that lies around us yet to learn. Billionaires, all of us." "The pages sparkle with lines that make a reader glance up, searching for an available ear with which to share them." — Melissa Febos, New York Times Book Review "Witty . . . deeply observed." — USA Today "A book that truly does matter." — Houston Chronicle

Summary: An enthralling collection of nonfiction essays on a myriad of topics—from art and artists to dreams, myths, and memories—observed in #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman's probing, amusing, and distinctive style. An inquisitive observer, thoughtful commentator, and assiduous craftsman, Neil Gaiman has long been celebrated for the sharp intellect and startling imagination that informs his bestselling fiction. Now, The View from the Cheap Seats brings together for the first time ever more than sixty pieces of his outstanding nonfiction. Analytical yet playful, erudite yet accessible, this cornucopia explores a broad range of interests and topics, including (but not limited to): authors past and present; music; storytelling; comics; bookshops; travel; fairy tales; America; inspiration; libraries; ghosts; and the title piece, at turns touching and self-deprecating, which recounts the author's experiences at the 2010 Academy Awards in Hollywood. Insightful, incisive, witty, and wise, The View from the Cheap Seats explores the issues and subjects that matter most to Neil Gaiman—offering a glimpse into the head and heart of one of the most acclaimed, beloved, and influential artists of our time

Summary: Fully-illustrated, The Passenger collects the best new writing, photography, art and reportage from around the world. IN THIS VOLUME: Lovestruck in Barcelona by Enrique Vila-Matas • Supermanza 503 by Gabi Martinez • The Great Barcelona Novel by Miqui Otero • plus: the complex legacy of the Olympics; the future of Catalonia; the radical left and the once best in the world soccer team; an endless subway line, and much more... Thirty years after the 1992 Olympics, which redefined the city's contemporary identity and changed its destiny, The Passenger travels to Barcelona to understand the history and future of one of the cradles of political, cultural, and urban change in Europe. From the debate about the impact of mass tourism to the search of new and sustainable models of economic and social development; from the eternal rivalry with Madrid to the rediscovery of the city's rich tradition of political activism: this volume of The Passenger offers a panoramic view of a city striving to trace a new path forward out of the current crisis, and find a way of life centered on the well-being of its citizens.

Summary: "Engaging and revealing, The Letters of Sylvia Plath offers a captivating look into the life and inner thinking of one of the most influential writers of the 20th century." — Paul Alexander, Washington Post The second volume in the definitive, complete collection of the letters of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, Sylvia Plath, from the early years of her marriage to Ted Hughes to the final days leading to her suicide in 1963, many never before seen. One of the most talented and beloved poets, Sylvia Plath continues to fascinate and inspire the modern literary imagination. The tragedy of her untimely death at age thirty, almost fifty-five years ago, has left much unknown about her creative and personal life. In this remarkable second volume of the iconic poet and writer's collected letters, the full range of Plath's ambitions, talents, fears, and perspective is made visible through her own powerful words. As engaging as they are revealing, these remarkable letters cover the years from 1957 to 1963. They detail the last six tumultuous and prolific years of her life, covering her marriage to Ted Hughes, the births of her children Frieda and Nicholas, her early success, including the publication of the classic The Bell Jar, and her ongoing struggle with depression. The first compendium of its kind to include all of Plath's letters from this period, The Letters of Sylvia Plath Volume 2 offers an intimate portrait of the writing life and mind of one of the most celebrated poets in literary history

Summary: A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 'For all those who believe in the politics of principle and hope this a wonderful reminder that they do not always lose. For all those who despair that politics can ever be inspiring again this is a must-read to shake you out of your misery' Paddy Ashdown 'There is a serious prospect that, in our time, we are losing faith in politics. The words of politicians float by, practised and polished, but profligate. The respect, veneration and hope first expressed by Pericles, has gone missing. It is the grand purpose of this book to help to call it back.' In his work as a speechwriter to senior politicians and business leaders around the world, Philip Collins has become well versed in understanding what it is that makes a speech great. When They Go Low, We Go High explores the ways in which the most notable speeches in history have worked, analysing the rhetorical tricks to uncover how the right speech at the right time can profoundly shape the world. Travelling across continents and centuries, Collins reveals what Thomas Jefferson owes to Cicero and Pericles, who really gave the Gettysburg Address and what Elizabeth I shares with Winston Churchill. And in telling the story of the great speeches he tells the story of democracy. For it is in the finest public speeches that progress unfolds, and we need those speeches now more than ever. While we are bombarded by sound bites and social media, fake news and sloganeering, and while populists are winning support, democratic politicians need to find words that inspire and give us hope. Because disenchantment with politics fosters the dangerous illusion that there is an alternative. Informed by Collins's own experiences as a speech writer, When They Go Low, We Go High is a passionate defence of the power of good public speaking to propagate and protect democracy and an urgent reminder of how words can change the world

Summary: Shaping the World: Women Writers on Themselves addresses these very questions. The array of formidable writers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka – acclaimed both nationally and internationally – share their insecurities and triumphs that occurred on their journeys to becoming writers. Was it easy? The answer is No. Many of them were closet writers, not sharing their writings with the world. Writing was no career, they were told. But they persevered. And they wrote. Because they had to. Because it was their calling. The writers reveal their inspirations: be it another writer, a personal tragedy, or triumph, a fascination with the English language, or a passion for putting pen to paper and finding wings. Shaping the World: Women Writers on Themselves is an anthology of intimate, honest and brave accounts that will provide the reader with an insight into the realm of writing: its adventurous terrain of highs and lows and how it continues to shape these 24 women and the world we all inhabit. The contributors are: Ameena Hussein (www.ameenahussein.com), Amruta Patil (www.amrutapatil.blogspot.in), Anita Nair (www.anitanair.net), Anjum Hasan (www.anjumhasan.com), Anuradha Marwah, Bapsi Sidhwa (www.bapsisidhwa.com), Bina Shah (www.binashah.net), Jaishree Misra (www.jaishreemisra.com), Janice Pariat (www.janicepariat.com), Kavery Nambisan (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kavery-Nambisan/671608229544955), Lavanya Sankaran (www.lavanyasankaran.com), Maniza Naqvi, Manju Kapur (www.manjukapur.com), Meira Chand (www.meirachand.com), Mishi Saran (www.mishisaran.com), Moni Mohsin (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moni_Mohsin), Namita Devidayal, Ru Freeman (www.rufreeman.com), Shashi Deshpande (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shashi_Deshpande), Shinie Antony, Susan Visvanathan (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Visvanathan), Tania James (www.taniajames.com), Tishani Doshi (www.tishanidoshi.com)

Summary: Twelve early pieces never before collected that offer an illuminating glimpse into the mind and process of Joan Didion. Mostly drawn from the earliest part of her astonishing five-decade career, the wide-ranging pieces in this collection include Didion writing about a Gamblers Anonymous meeting, a visit to San Simeon, and a reunion of WWII veterans in Las Vegas, and about topics ranging from Nancy Reagan to Robert Mapplethorpe to Martha Stewart. Here are subjects Didion has long written about – the press, politics, California robber baronsac, women, the act of writing, and her own self-doubt. Each piece is classic Didion: incisive and, in new light, stunningly prescient

Summary: Winner of the Akutagawa Prize and the Kenzaburo Oe Prize, these eleven surreal tales, set in the offices, zoos, bus stops, boutiques, and homes of contemporary Japan "are reminiscent, at least to this reader, of Joy Williams and Rivka Galchen and George Saunders" (Weike Wang, The New York Times Book Review , Editors' Choice). In the English-language debut of one of Japan’s most fearlessly inventive young writers a housewife takes up bodybuilding and sees radical changes to her physique, which her workaholic husband fails to notice. A boy waits at a bus stop, mocking commuters struggling to keep their umbrellas open in a typhoon, until an old man shows him that they hold the secret to flying. A saleswoman in a clothing boutique waits endlessly on a customer who won’t come out of the fitting room, and who may or may not be human. A newlywed notices that her spouse’s features are beginning to slide around his face to match her own. In these eleven stories, the individuals who lift the curtains of their orderly homes and workplaces are confronted with the bizarre, the grotesque, the fantastic, the alien—and find a doorway to liberation

Summary: This program is read by Margaret Atwood, Rodney Crowell, John Doe, Jim Fletcher, Ari Fliakos, Maggie Hoffman, Ross Marquand, Will Patton, Seth Rogan, Michael Shannon, and Neela Vaswani. The Flame is the final collection of the seminal musician and poet, which he was determined to complete before his death Just weeks before his death in late 2016, Leonard Cohen told The New Yorker that he was ready for the end to come. He just wanted enough time to put his last book in order. Fortunately, that time was granted. The Flame is Cohen's eloquent farewell, a valedictory collection of lyrics and poems that maps his singular creative journey. As noted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's citation, "For six decades, Leonard Cohen revealed his soul to the world through poetry and song—his deep and timeless humanity touching our very core." In addition to new poems about war, desire, regrets, lamb chops, and hummingbirds, and lyrics from his last three albums, including the chart-topping "You Want It Darker," The Flame includes carefully selected excerpts from Cohen's voluminous notebooks, which he kept faithfully over the years. Listeners will hear about the subjects that have always preoccupied Cohen: the dimensions of love, the secret code of existence, and the hope for transcendence in a broken world. In the words of Cohen's longtime manager and friend, Robert Kory, The Flame "reveals to all the intensity of his inner fire" to the end

Summary: From "one of the greatest writers of our time" (Toni Morrison)—the author of Barracoon and Their Eyes Were Watching God—a collection of remarkable stories, including eight "lost" Harlem Renaissance tales now available to a wide audience for the first time. New York Times' Books to Watch for Buzzfeed's Most Anticipated Books of 2020 Newsweek's Most Anticipated Books Forbes.com's Most Anticipated Books of 2020 E!'s Top 2020 Books to Read Glamour's Best Books In 1925, Barnard student Zora Neale Hurston—the sole black student at the college—was living in New York, "desperately striving for a toe-hold on the world." During this period, she began writing short works that captured the zeitgeist of African American life and transformed her into one of the central figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Nearly a century later, this singular talent is recognized as one of the most influential and revered American artists of the modern period. Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick is an outstanding collection of stories about love and migration, gender and class, racism and sexism that proudly reflect African American folk culture. Brought together for the first time in one volume, they include eight of Hurston's "lost" Harlem stories, which were found in forgotten periodicals and archives. These stories challenge conceptions of Hurston as an author of rural fiction and include gems that flash with her biting, satiric humor, as well as more serious tales reflective of the cultural currents of Hurston's world. All are timeless classics that enrich our understanding and appreciation of this exceptional writer's voice and her contributions to America's literary traditions

Summary: 'Startlingly audacious.' Literary Review New writing from the literary master Throughout Proust's life, nine of his short stories remained unseen – the writer never even spoke of them. Perhaps he was not ready to share the early themes he was nurturing for his masterpiece, In Search of Lost Time . Or perhaps, in dealing directly with gay desire, they were too audacious – too near to life – for the censorious society of the time. In these stories, published in English for the first time, we find an intimate portrait of a young author full of darkness, complexity and melancholy, longing to reveal himself to the world